"I before E, except after C, and in words like 'neighbour' and 'weigh.'" How many of us have never been helped out of a grammatical pickle by that old and proven rule? Spelling rules, and their close cousins, phonics rules, can be a real help to those who struggle with spelling. Unfortunately, not every spelling rule is couched in a cute little rhyme, nor have they been easy to find... until now.Harvey Bluedorn has put together a very helpful little book, the "Handy English Encoder Decoder," which collects spelling and phonics rules in one place, arranges them neatly and logically, and gives us all a hand up when it comes to spelling. The book also includes a couple of games, a long list of homophones (words that sound alike but look different), and that most invaluable of spelling lists: "Commonly Confused Spellings and Word Pairs." I look forward to referencing the Encoder Decoder in the upcoming school year. Recommended for homeschool teachers, students, and English geeks like me who just really like to know this stuff, and appreciate any reference book that's small enough to fit in your average purse.- Rachel Starr Thomsonhttp://rachelstarrthomson.blogspot.com

Simple and certainly handy! I wish I had this back in my school days. Almost as useful during the schooling years as your Noah Websters Dictionary, this book clearly walks you through all the spelling and phonics rules you will come across. Written in its clear and precise format, it is quite an aid in teaching the phonics rules to your children, as well as having them seek out the rules for themselves.

This little booklet packs a big whallop! Literally hundreds of spelling and phonics rules are easily categorized in this handbook. Commonly confused and misspelled words, homophones, capitalization rules and much, much more are also covered. The wonderful thing about this book is that, while it gives you the answer you need, it is brief and to the point. It's small enough to carry with you or keep right at your desk. It provides a quick and simple answer to your spelling or punctuation quandry. No need to sift through page after page, trying to find what you're looking for. This user-friendly guide puts the answer at your fingertips and is a great resource for any aspiring writer.